Juventus to turn to Spalletti if Allegri leaves

The Italian champions would like to see their current coach to see out the final year of his contract but have already identified the best replacement

Juventus are hoping to persuade Massimiliano Allegri to remain in Turin but have lined up Luciano Spalletti as a potential successor should their current coach decide to depart at the end of the season.

Allegri's contract runs until June 30, 2018 and the Bianconeri could not be happier with the former AC Milan boss, who has won successive league-and-cup doubles since taking charge in the summer of 2014 - and is presently on target for another.

Indeed, the two parties have an excellent working relationship and the Juve board remain optimistic about their chances of holding on to the man who also surprisingly led the Old Lady to the Champions League final in his first season at the helm.

However, Allegri is tempted by the idea of testing himself outside of Italy, having already won a total of three Serie A titles during his time in Milan and Turin, and has been heavily linked with Premier League outfit Arsenal in recent months.

As a result, Juve are already working on a contingency plan. Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is the dream target but is under contract at the Vicente Calderon until 2018.

Former Bianconeri midfielder Paulo Sousa is also of interest, with the Portuguese likely to leave Fiorentina at the end of the season, while Juve are among a number of clubs to have been impressed by the job that Leonardo Jardim is doing at Monaco.

However, Luciano Spalletti is now the Old Lady's preferred candidate, with the 58-year-old increasingly likely to part company with Roma when his contract expires this summer.

It had been claimed that Spalletti had already agreed to move to Turin, prompting the coach to state on Saturday: "I have not signed any pre-contracts with anyone."

Juve, though, are long-time admirers, having first tried to hire the former Zenit boss before the appointment of Antonio Conte in 2011 only to be frustrated in their attempts to secure his release from his Russian employers.

Spalletti is flattered by the Old Lady's continued interest in his services and would be open to leaving Roma for their Serie A rivals as it would also mean a reunion with Bianconeri CEO Beppe Marotta, whom he previously worked under at Venezia.

However, everything hinges on Allegri and whether he will decide to honour his Juve contract, with Marotta set to sit down to discuss the matter with the Livorno native in the coming weeks.